Dear Jessica Brennan,
Have you ever heard the same story told by various different people, and while you know it is an account of the same events, it couldn’t be more different? I think this is an excellent thing to remember when you’re forming an opinion. It is very easy to see things only through your own eyes or point of view, or to fully believe the first version of events you hear, but truly there are as many perspectives on any situation as there are eyes observing it.
Here is an example.
From the outside looking in:
Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow, and everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go.
You know the tale.
It followed her to school one day and Mary got in a heap of trouble.
From Mary’s perspective:
Why must this lamb follow me everywhere? Have you ever tried to get a lamb to not follow you? White, snowy, fleece or not, this thing won’t leave me alone. My teacher is ready to make it into chops. I don’t know what to do. I do love the lamb, and the lamb obviously loves me. When my teacher scared it off, it waited at the gate until after school to follow me home. I’ve tried everything. I feed it just before school and then try to sneak away, but when I turn around there it is running and bleating after me.
From the teacher’s perspective:
As if looking after a classroom of eight year olds isn’t enough, I now have a lamb showing up at school. I know it isn’t Mary’s fault but honestly, someone has to take responsibility. It is a health and safety issue. Also, why would her parents let her bring a lamb to school? Clueless. The principal told me she was going to write me up if there is any more livestock in my classroom. I can’t lose my job, not in this economy. Last week I got reprimanded because Wee Willie Winkie fell asleep at his desk after apparently running around after dark in his nightgown banging on windows. Now, Mary and that bloody lamb.
From the lamb’s perspective:
I just love Mary. I love her so much. Everything she does, I love. And everywhere she goes, I want to be. I love her. I love her. I love her. Oh, here she comes. Yay!
Next time you think you know something for sure, turn it upside down and inside out and see if maybe there are other ways to look at it. This helps to give a little less of an “us and them” perspective and builds compassion for what others are facing in a situation. Usually things aren’t as black and white as they appear.
You can use this method to dissect just about any scenario in well, two shakes of a lamb’s tail.
Love,
Mum xo
